


Saving Graces

by GypsySisters, icebergmemories



Category: The OA (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Schmanon AU FTW, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-12 11:36:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15339018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GypsySisters/pseuds/GypsySisters, https://archiveofourown.org/users/icebergmemories/pseuds/icebergmemories
Summary: Prairie showed up for an music audition in the same sleepy backwater town where Dr. Hap was a professor. He found her rain-soaked and stranded, with no place to stay. What do you think happened next?





	1. Chapter 1

At least it was October. Prairie hefted her duffle bag back on her shoulder, secured her violin case in her tired grip, shifting her weight from one boot to another as she stood inside the flimsy bus stop shelter and another gust of air blew rain water in her face. She kept trying to cheer herself up, give herself distractions. October weather was bearable. If it was November and rainy like this, her wet clothes would be frigid. If it was winter, it would have been snowing. Well… snow would have been lovely, actually. Lovely, but not conducive for waiting at a bus stop for over an hour.

There was an alert on her phone. It was the motel. She was too late. She missed her arrival time, and they gave her reservation to someone else. Shit! Now, how was she going to find a place to stay in time to prepare for her audition when the bloody bus wouldn’t even show up to take her away from this strip mall in the middle of nowhere where the shops all closed early because it was Sunday. There were no taxis in this town. She tried again for an Uber, but there were none out here, either, in the middle of nowhere. 

Another gust of wind blew water into her eyes, and she turned away, shielding her face. 

The cabin of his car was well insulated, and Hap was appreciative of that. It looked quite awful outside, and as he sped down the quiet roads, he dreaded returning to his silent house and wasting the days away until his next conference. At this time of night, there should have been at least a few cars or trucks or something. He didn't want to go home. He would have even stopped at a bar, but they were all closed on Sundays. As were the shops. As was everything. He wanted just one thing to get in his way and keep him away longer. 

With a sigh, he pulled into a parking lot, mostly empty now that everyone had gone home, and splashed through a couple puddles. 

That's when he saw her. As the murky water fell off the windshield, she was standing at a bus stop in the rain, waiting for a bus that wouldn’t come till Monday morning.

It was the first car she’d seen in ages, and she figured: why the hell not? She bounded over, caught in the headlights as the rain pelted down, and approached the driver side window, smiling as best she could manage with the cold wind picking up. 

He saw her approaching, thoroughly soaked, and he rolled his window down all the way to talk to her. Levels of confusion kept him from saying anything, wondering why on Earth she would be standing out in the rain.

She wiped the water from her eyes and blinked, trying to get a look at him. He didn’t seem like a crazy axe murderer. He was kinda cute, actually, in a dorky older man sorta way. “Hey mister! Can I get a lift?”

“Get in!” She was young, gold hair in a braid and she didn't look like she was going to stab him and take his money for drugs. She didn’t waste any time. He unlocked the passenger side door and waved her over as she rain through the rain. He hadn't quite gotten a good look at her, but she seemed spirited as she bolted past his headlights. Hopping over to the other side of the car, she slipped in, dripping rainwater everywhere as she hugged her things awkwardly to her chest. “Oh! I’m so sorry! I’m getting everything all wet!”

“Don't worry about it, it's just water.” He turned up the heat a bit for her, then set the car into park. “How long were you waiting out there?”

She looked at him, grateful for his kindness, then shrugged. “Since the mall closed?” Truth is she’d been waiting around for a bit longer. It’s not like she’d had money to shop with, anyways. 

Far longer than he would have managed. He turned to face her, droplets on her brow shimmering, clutching her items and what looked like an instrument case to her chest. She was beautiful, radiant despite the chill. It made him fumble over his words. “Is there anyone you can call?”

“Oh! Um... if you could just drop me off someplace dry I’ll be alright.” She laughed nervously. She wasn’t used to anyone caring how she fared.

“A hotel or something?” The way she had said it wasn't the mark of an untrusting person, and it made him curious.

“Oh… they’re all full, what with auditions week and all. There’s gotta be a grocery store or a Seven Eleven or something? I’ll be fine there.”

He was just about to pull into drive as she said that. “Do you have a place to stay at all?”

She looked at him like she’d swallowed a frog, embarrassed that the answer was: no. 

He sighed. Shit. Contemplating letting a complete stranger in, he worried about just dropping her off at a gas station like she asked. Seeing the state of her wet clothes made his mind up pretty fast. “I have a guest room.”

“Oh… I couldn’t possibly… I've already imposed too much…” she shook her head, embarrassed at her state of neediness. 

“It's nothing.” Hap gestured to her case. “If you're here for auditions, you need rest and a store isn't the best place for that. A bed beats a floor any day.”

She paused, considering his offer. She was so tired, and a bed did sound nice. “Ok,” she said, nodding. “Take me home.”

Putting the car in drive, he drove toward his home like he had been avoiding for the past hour. Something about her softened him, made him forget how shitty his day had been and gave him just the tiniest bit of hope for no particular reason. He drove carefully through the streets and winding paths before coming to a house in a line of identical houses, and the two of them disappeared inside.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All of Prairie’s clothes are soaked. Whatever will she do?

The house was dark when they bustled in through the kitchen door, the screen door banging in the wind. Hap still had bits of paper lying around from his last project, and they fluttered into the air like scattering doves as the autumn wind gusted into the dark room. He switched on the lights and hunted down each stray piece, finding them amidst dirty plates and dusty records and piles of clothes strewn about the furniture.

“Sorry about the mess.” He started heating up with the exertion before he remembered he hadn't taken off his jacket, which was then thrown onto the back of a chair at one side of the island.

Prairie stood in the kitchen, looking around. She couldn’t help but smile at the man, bustling about to clean up. “I’m kind of a mess, too,” she joked. “I’ll fit right in.”

Once he gathered the last page, he stood near the island and straightened his shirt. “Down the hall is the guest room, right across is the restroom. Mine’s right next to it, not that it matters.” _Fool, rambling._ “There also food in the fridge, or I could call something in if you wanted?”

Why was he so cutely awkward? He was at least twice her age… so why did she feel like… like the notes in one of her songs, flying through the air like the wind? She set her things on the floor at her feet at stepped forward tentatively, her hand outstretched. “I’m Prairie by the way.”

“Hap.” He set the mess he’d gathered down and took her hand, shook it with a smile on his face. There was something about her, despite being chilled and still soaking in her clothes, that was still warm. Not her hands, but _her._

“Thanks for saving me from a dreadful night, Hap.” She smiled, comforted by his warmth. 

His smile didn't fade. “My pleasure.” Releasing her hand after a little longer than usual, he straightened his stance and tried to compose himself. “Can I get you anything? Dry clothes, water?”

“Water?” She laughed, the cute little fangs that were prominent in her teeth showing. Then she lifted her wet garments and shook them so that they dripped on the floor, laughing again, “No thanks! If I had any more water I think I might drown!”

He couldn't help but laugh, and the way her teeth poked out when she wasn't holding back her laughter was frankly adorable. “Do you have spare clothes or do you need a towel? Or?” 

She picked up her duffle, but when it started dripping, too, she erupted again in laughter. 

After a moment of laughing along with her, he turned and headed to his room to grab her some clothes. A shirt, some pants, everything guaranteed to be several sizes too large, but at least dry and warm.

When he returned, she was in the same spot, but she’d pulled herself out of her coat and sweater and her dress and T-shirt were soaked, sticking to her skin. 

His breath hitched at the sight of the slick clothes, and as he handed her the dry clothes, he struggled to keep his eyes from drifting further than her chest. “You can just -- step into one of the rooms to change.”

She disappeared into the first room, a musky office filled with books and papers. After slipping out of her things and ito his oversized sweats and T-shirt, she couldn’t help but take a peak at the work he’d left out… and that peek turned into a look that lasted too long.

He waited for her to dress, doing a quick cleaning spree. It had been some time since he had anyone else in the house as a guest and it threw him off. _Prairie._ Interesting name. Searching for a blanket to warm her up, he folded it a few times in his hands as he waited, but she’d lost all sense of time as she stood at his desk, reading through his latest research into the cosmos.

After some time, he wondered what she had gotten to. Maybe she had fallen asleep and it was best to leave her be. But something dragged him to that room, and as he knocked on the door, he wondered more why he felt what he did for her.

She startled at the knock. “Oh! I’m sorry! Come in!” She stood guiltily over his desk, the papers in her hands.

He opened the door, eyes adjusting to the dim light. “Ah, you've found my work.” Some days it had felt like a crusade, others had gone by in a flash. It was the only thing that mattered in his life.

“This is you?” She asked impressed. “This is what you study? Stars and astronomy and stuff?”

He could only nod. Boring stuff for anyone that didn't understand it, which no one ever did. “Patterns in the cosmos, sounds captured from space, et cetera.” 

“Really?” She set the paper down and stepped towards him. “Do you have space recordings?”

“Yeah, I mean, I could find some if you wanted.” He wasn't used to anyone genuinely being interested in his work, much less ever finding out about it. Even the people in charge of the conference hadn't cared. It made a grin come over his features. Of all people to pick up on a rainy evening.

“That sounds fascinating,” she smiled, a light in her eyes. Then she blushed, suddenly aware of how close she’d gotten. If she wanted to, she could just reach out and touch him. Instead, she rubbed her arm and looked down, smiling timidity. 

“You're the only one that's thought that.” As she looked down, his teeth tugged at his lip and he noticed how close they were. He could see the shadows under her eyelashes on her cheeks and the red blush to her skin, the way his shirt rested on her shoulders showing just enough skin to reveal that the blush had travelled.

She looked up, shocked. “ You can’t be serious. Your work seems fascinating! I only wish… oh… but that’s silly…” she laughed, nervous again. 

“Wish what?” 

She looked up at him hesitantly. “I wish I had more time… to look through it all.”

If anyone could hear his heart, they'd hear it had lost it's normal tempo and was chasing after her. “There's more research somewhere. Here...” he said as he turned to a cabinet near the desk and began rifling through some folders. He found one, setting it on the desk, and began searching for more.

She went over next to him and placed her hand on his arm, stilling him. “I would love to see everything… but…” then she stifled a yawn, looking at him apologetically. “It’s been a long day.”

Her wet hair has dampened his shirt and her pile of wet clothes was still soaking the floor. “Of course.” _Fool._ He'd been so caught up in just sharing his work he'd forgotten how tired she must be. If her hand wasn't on his arm, he'd have bent to pick up her clothes for her so they would dry out, but he couldn't pull away from her.

“You said you had a guest room?” She looked at him tentatively.

“Just across the hall.” It was cleaner, as he barely spent time in there, and the current room functioned as both his bedroom and workspace. The way she looked at him made him very aware of himself and the close proximity they shared. Her big blue eyes. Pale skin that made her lips look prominent. So close.

She felt the energy between them and wanted to ride the waves of this moment forever. “Would you show me?” She asked him, looking to him with her beautiful blue eyes. 

He nodded, eyes not leaving her, and turned to the door while still looking at her. He knew the house like the back of his hand, could even walk it blind. 

His gaze was too intense. She looked down, blushing, as he led her out, picking at a bit of pilling on the shirt.

As soon as she looked away, he did the same. It didn't matter what he felt in the moment, or the evening. She was a guest and heavens forbid he do something to make her uneasy. 

The door opened with a squeak, hinges that were left unused for long spans of time, and the cold room looked as if it belonged in a bed and breakfast joint. Clean, pressed bed, curtains that were drawn together to shut out the city view. A room bare of any real human attachment. There was nothing that said anyone had lived in the room for quite some time. “It's not much.”

Prairie walked in and sighed, a genuine grin lighting up her face, “Oh, this is perfect. Thank you so much.”

He took a moment to remember that smile, etching it into his mind for a rainy day. Genuine and kind. “I'll leave you be.” And he turned to leave, forgetting about the sopping wet pile of clothes on his floor, heading to the couch to sleep.

“Wait… do you have a dryer or something?” She asked, her desire to keep spending time with him making her willing to be presumptuous. 

All he wanted was to spend time with her too, which he would never say out loud. “It's in the basement.”

She gathered up her wet clothes, then went to where she’d dropped her duffle in the kitchen and hefted it over her shoulder with a toothy grin. “Lead the way, Hap. These clothes aren’t gonna dry themselves!” 

A door in the corner of the kitchen led to a set of stairs spiraling down to the stone floor of the basement, a cold room. Better not to push heating to a room that was barely used. Near the base of the stairs was an old, rickety washer and dryer set, far away from his work space to cancel out the noise. He waved a hand, let her choose her settings and admired her from a few feet away.

Focusing on her task, she rummaged through her duffle and clucked her tongue as she realized everything was soaked. Dumping everything into the dryer, she was left with a spare bra. She stuffed the lacy fabric in her hand; it was something she’d have to hang up to dry in her room.

“Are you hungry?” He couldn't quite think of anything to say, and the thought of food helped to drag his mind from thoughts of her in general. 

She hadn’t thought about food all day, but now that he mentioned it? “Yea,” she grinned. “I’m ravenous.”

The dryer rumbled on the basement floor and she followed her host back upstairs, both of the providing each other the warmth of a hopeful companionship in this dark night.


	3. Chapter 3

From the moment Hap led Prairie back to his kitchen, she could tell he knew practically nothing about making food. She couldn’t help but smile at him as he played the role of an awkward host.

He had pretended his best to appear as if he actually made his own food. Boiling water and making toast were the extent of his capabilities, which he usually solved by just ordering takeout. But with a beautiful woman in his house, he had to at least try to be something more than he was. So he grabbed a can of chicken and fumbled around to find something to do with it.

“Mmm. I love chicken salad. Do you want me to chop up this apple to go in it?” Prairie asked, anticipating his movements and trying to save him a little pride.

Trying to be as smooth as he could, he nodded in agreement and while he opened the can, he watched her deftly slice the fruit. Once it was drained, he got out some greens from the fridge and began rinsing them.

“Don’t forget the mayo,” she reminded softly, taking the can and draining it properly before dumping the chicken in a bowl that was left in the dish strainer. 

He grabbed that too, and instead of trying to think ahead, he followed her lead with a grin.

Returning his smile, she took the mayo from him and made the chicken salad in the bowl, sprinkling in a little salt before she stirred in the apple chunks. She went to the cutting board and started slicing the bread. “Do you like mustard?”

“Love it.” He stood next to her, watching her prepare the food. “Though I've never actually had chicken salad.” Her hands moved about as if she wasn't even thinking about her actions, though she had done it dozens of times, leaving him in a state of wonder.

“I could tell,” she winked. She spread the food on the slices of bread, adding a pinch of lettuce, then looked up at him watching her, amused at his starry eyed wonder. “Well go on, then. Get the mustard, Professor.”

He got it out and came right back to her side, grabbing plates from one of the cabinets. “Usually the research doesn't allow me much time to cook my own meals.” Which made him all the more grateful for the food she was preparing.

“I hope I’m not keeping you from your research tonight,” she said with a serious expression as she handed him his sandwich, but there was a twinkle in her eye. 

He'd study her if he could. “Not at all. It's a well needed respite.” He took a bite of the food and was an instant fan of chicken salad. As he chewed, he couldn't help himself from saying aloud, “oh my god.”

She stifled a laugh, looking at him incredulously. “It’s just a sandwich.”

“It's amazing. Really, Prairie.” It fell off his tongue like the name had been said many times before.

She relaxed, leaning back against the counter and taking a bite of her own sandwich, more hungry than she cared to admit. To mask her own neediness, she teased him with a grin, “You’d think no one had ever made you a sandwich before.”

He took another bite, laughing through it, though the statement was true. “Do you cook? More than a hobby or...?”

“I just cook to eat,” she grinned, stuffing another bite in her mouth. It had been too long since her last decent meal, and she was trying not to eat too desperately. 

Finishing off his sandwich, he then wiped his hands and mouth on a towel next to the sink. He was grateful for the food, better than he had in ages. Trying not to directly watch her eat, he went to the table at the end of the kitchen and fumbled with some papers as she finished, making it look a little neater in his mess of a house, but his nervousness just made her more nervous. Why wasn’t he talking to her? Had she overstepped? Should she not have come?

She finished her food silently then silently went to wash up the dishes. First, the water splashed against the sink and she ran her fingers in the steady stream, waiting for it to grow hot. 

He glanced over to her as the steam built around her, noticing her hair had begun to dry and had a slight curl to it. “You don't have to do the dishes.” His eyes lingered over her body for a moment, before catching himself and cursing inwardly.

“It’s ok,” she didn’t look up. “I don’t mind. I find it soothing, actually.” She squirted the lemon dish soap into the sink and waited for it to foam up, then she washed each utensil with gentle precision.

It was all he could do not to stare at her hands while she was washing the dishes. He wished he could see her play the violin, but he couldn't ask for that. He'd already made her uncomfortable enough that she was washing his dishes. “I don't have a TV, and my... conversation skills aren't the greatest.”

“That’s ok,” she finished up, wiping her hands on a dish towel. There was a twinkle in her eye when she looked at him. “I hate it when people talk over TV shows, anyways.”

“Plus it's late anyways and you should probably get some sleep.” Not entirely what he wanted, but he had to be polite. 

She pouted briefly, disappointed that he didn’t catch her joke, but quickly recovered. “Ok, Hap. Thanks again for the rescue. I… I guess I’ll see you come morning.”

It saddened him to lose her company for the night, but it really was late. He couldn't quite find the words to close off the conversation and excuse himself to his room, and instead stood next to the table staring down at the papers he shuffled around.

Silently, she slipped into her room. She went about the business of getting ready for bed. The bra she’d retrieved from the laundry, she hung it out to dry in the back of a chair. Then she slipped out of his sweats and, wearing only his T-shirt, she slipped into the bed. 

_Fuck, Hap._ How could he be so dense? She'd been a lovely addition to his day and for what? Him to ignore her? To be rude? He cursed at himself internally -- and outwardly -- before he settled in his room, laying on top of the sheets. He didn't fall asleep for some time after that, cold and alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Prairie woke at dawn the next morning and stretched under her blankets, sighing contentedly. She felt at peace in the professor’s home. She felt warm and content and also intrigued. He had taken her in so willingly, yet he had such a dorky and awkward cuteness about him that was impossible to resist. 

Yup. She had a crush. She was crushing on the professor, taboos be damned.

It’s not like he was her professor, anyways. She wasn’t a college student anymore. The violin audition just happened to be at the college.

It’s such a pity all her underwear was in the wash, she thought as she looked down at her body, clothed in his T-shirt, and had a wickedly wonderful idea. Instead of slipping on the sweats he’d lent her, she made her way out to the kitchen, tousled hair and bare legs, his T-shirt hitting against her thighs, just below her naked ass. She started rummaging around in the cabinets, making coffee, not even trying to be quiet.

Before she realized what was happening, however, the door opened and someone she did not expect cane blundering into the room, face obscured at first by a newspaper. 

“Hap! You won’t believe what the Gazette is featuring toda-a-ay… oh… _Hello!_ ” The older man grinned toothily as he looked a stunned Prairie over head to toe, his gaze raking her body suggestively without a care for propriety. “What do we have here?”

Hap emerged from his room, clad in a t-shirt and sweatpants, woken by the banging in the kitchen. “What’s…” His eyes fell over Prairie immediately, lingering for a moment before turning to the man standing there gawking like a vulture. “Leon.” He stumbled over his words, so many things in his head. Her legs. Long and pale, all right there with nothing hidden. God, the things he wanted to do if he had no self control. And his friend, barging into his home which usually was nothing more than a moderate inconvenience, was then much more pressing than the things he imagined with Prairie. “What are you doing here this early?” He closed the distance between himself and Leon, putting himself between his colleague and Prairie who gave Hap a look of utter embarrassment before disappearing back into her room. 

“Hap, you dog!” Leon punched him in the arm. “I didn’t know you were banging students! Welcome to the club, brother. I’ve told you time and again that you should take advantage of your bachelorhood. Hell… I take advantage, and I’m not even a bachelor!” Leon chuckled, lifting up his wedding ring as if it was in on the joke. 

“I'm -- she's not --” Frankly, Leon was only good for his contributions to the work and their field of research. He was disgusting, crude, and lusted over everything feminine with legs. And unfortunately, Prairie was just his type. “What do you need?”

“Well… if you’re done with that one, I’ll take her number, for starters.” Leon winked, then opened the fridge and pulled out a yogurt, opening it only to get a dollop of it on his shirt. 

“You've never been keen on sharing anything.” The thought of him touching Prairie made his stomach churn and blood start to boil. “And I doubt she's into older men like you. Like us.” He took a seat at the kitchen table, sweats shifting uncomfortably around the seam as he wondered how the morning would have been if Leon never dropped by.

“Oh, well, now… are you really going to play this game, Hap? The girl was naked. In your kitchen. In your T-shirt. You can’t convince me you didn’t fuck her last night.” Leon wiped at the smudge on his shirt with Hap’s dishtowel. 

If he told the truth, that nothing had happened, Leon would certainly pounce. “Fine, yes. But nothing spectacular.” He prayed and prayed that she couldn't hear him from the guest room. “That's enough, Leon.” 

Satisfied, Leon gave his colleague a wink. Then he tossed the paper on the table as he headed out the door. “They mentioned your research in the feature about the conference, by the way, you lucky bastard.” Then Leon gave him a fleeting look of disdainful jealousy before turning away. 

Hap couldn't believe him until he saw it himself, didn't even acknowledge him shutting the door behind him as he left. His research, out in the world like he had always wanted. Not the recognition, but the relief of finally making it. A grin came over his face as he read the article, soaking in every word in the silence left in Leon's wake.

He was so absorbed he didn’t hear Prairie open her door. Neither did he hear her walk back into the room or stand behind him. She broke the silence, grinning. “Nothing spectacular, hmm? You could at least spread flattering lies about me, professor, and say I was the best you ever had.”

The sound of her voice startled him, and he turned to face her as he set the paper on the table. “You heard that, huh?” He sighed, rubbed his eyes. No doubt she would have been.

She stood there for a moment, letting the silence hang between them, standing just close enough to him to make the moment uncomfortable, yet all she did was look at him, stifling the urge to break out in a smile as she shifted her weight and the hem of his shirt shifted against her perilously close thighs. 

He had a very difficult time keeping his eyes from drifting to her legs, and if he stood up, she'd be able to see the growing attention she was getting. “My, uh, research was mentioned at a conference.” Desperately trying to ease away from the dangerous thoughts of her straddling his lap, that was the only other thing in his brain.

“Really?!” She was surprised and impressed. “Is that what the article is about?” She leaned over to get a look at the newspaper laid out on the table, standing even closer to him now, his T-shirt riding up in the back along with her motion, making the hem ride up just enough to reveal the beginning curvature of her ass. 

Jesus Christ, she wasn’t wearing any underwear.

His breath was beginning to get uneven, all thoughts of his work pushed aside. He couldn't get any words out about his work, not like that.

“Who knew I was in the home of not just any professor, but an acclaimed and renowned one.” She smiled, then grew serious as she walked into the kitchen and started pulling out things for making breakfast, pointedly ignoring his gaze, knowing that her thighs would swish every time she walked around the room.

Wild horses couldn't drag his eyes away from her.

He collected his thoughts as best he could, remaining seated at the table where his erection could be easily hidden from her. Why was she dressed like that? Surely her clothes were dry by now, and even then, there were pants given to her as well. She knew what she was doing, and it was a sweet torture to watch. “It's…” maintaining the conversation of his work, “been a long time coming.”

“It seems the best things are those you have to wait for. How did you manage being so patient for so long without getting what you want?” 

“Years of practice.” One hand fell to his thigh without even noticing it.

She smirked and started some toast then cracked a couple eggs over the hot skillet, watching them sizzle. “Good to know, professor.”

“Is your audition today?”

“Yes!” She looked at him brightly. “I’ll head to the college this afternoon, actually.”

He couldn't help but smile back at her with how happy she looked. Would it be too much to take her there, even listen to her play? “I'm heading up there later if you need a ride.”

“That won’t interfere with your plans today? I don’t want to impose.” She plated the eggs, taking a moment to butter the toast. 

“Not at all, my pleasure.” He didn't actually have any plans for the day, so it was the only thing he had. Watching her make breakfast was a treat, and he would've helped her, but in doing so would have revealed too much to a stranger. 

She returned to the table, a plate in each hand, her thighs rubbing together as she walked, coming terribly close once again. Giving him the sweetest smile, she chuckled. “I’m not sure I deserve so much kindness. Is there any way I can repay you?”

He couldn't say those kind of thoughts aloud. She was his guest, nothing more. “You've already made me breakfast. That's more than enough.” His smile was sincere, kind.

She shrugged, then set the plates on the table, slipping into the seat across from him. Was he really not going to make any comment at all about her state of undress? As she started to eat, an involuntary pout marred her features. He was confusing. He was kind and attentive, but kept himself at arm’s length. She was much more accustomed to the “Leon”s of the world, who took what they wanted from her leaving nothing in return. 

One hand remained on his lap as he ate the food she made, better than anything he could have attempted. “Sorry about him. He's always been...like that.” He looked up at her then, noticing the look on her face, studying her features. Was something wrong?

She shrugged, pushing her food around before she looked up and masked her feelings with a chipper smile. “It’s ok.”

But when she saw his sincere expression, her mask melted away and she was left with an earnest expression of tender trust that shocked her. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this way. “Thanks.”

“Is anyone going to be there for your audition? Family...boyfriend?” His eyes lingered on her, not wanting to look away. Seeing just how she reacted, hopefully see how she felt.

A flash of pain furrowed her brow, and she looked down at her plate again. “No.” The word was definitive. 

Not what he expected, and with the pain he saw, he dropped it. “Well just tell me when and I'll take you up there and then to a hotel or…?” He hadn't considered what would happen after that. Probably she would leave and that was it. Just a blip in his life, and back to silence.

Oh. Of course. Of course he’d want her to stay somewhere else. She smiled politely. “That’s kind. Thank you.”

She didn’t have an appetite anymore. Feeling a bit foolish, she rose, scraped her practically-untouched meal into the trash and rinsed her plate quickly before making her way sheepishly out of the room. “I’ll just get my clothes from the dryer.”

He wanted her to stay. Inexplicably, he felt something for her beyond that of a stranger. Who was he to request she stay? He got up from the table, grabbing his plate as well. Later he would be grateful they were plastic because he nearly tossed it in the sink in his own fit of emotion towards himself. _Stupid man. Stupid._ He didn't think of if she could hear him, or see him. From Leon, to basically pushing her away, it wasn't how he wanted this morning to be at all.


End file.
